The Vision of the present Agriculture Promotion Policy 2016-2020 is to work with key stakeholders building an agri-business economy capable of delivering sustained prosperity by meeting domestic food security goals, generating exports, and supporting sustainable income and job growth. In this regard, a number of specific objectives for the period 2016-2020 emerge: 1) Growth of the integrated agriculture sector; 2) Integration of agricultural commodity value chains into the broader supply chain of Nigerian and global industry, driving job growth, increasing the contribution of agriculture to wealth creation, and enhancing the capacity of the country to earn foreign exchange from agricultural exports; 3) Promote the responsible use of land, water and other natural resources to create a vibrant agricultural sector offering employment and livelihood for a growing population; 4) Facilitate the government’s capacity to meet its obligations to Nigerians on food security, food safety and quality nutrition; 5) Creation of a mechanism for improved governance of agriculture by the supervising institutions, and improving quality of engagement between the Federal and State Governments.As far as the overall Policy Framework is concerned, Nigeria needs to create a policy structure that matches evidence-driven coordination among decision-making authorities with common and public goals for an agricultural transformation of the country. Agricultural Technology: Persistent shortcomings of the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) to generate and commercialize new agricultural technologies that meet local market needs. The NARS’s challenges have been relatively severe particularly around improved varieties of seed or other planting materials and breeds of livestock and aquatic species. The failure to also deliver already proven technologies available on the shelf to farmers’ fields where they are needed is a challenge. Addressing these will require better coordination among extension delivery system, the national agricultural research system, as well as public and private sector suppliers of agricultural inputs. Infrastructure Deficit: Nigeria’s agricultural sector suffers from an infrastructure challenge. Infrastructure such as motor roads, railroads or irrigation dams are either insufficient, or when available, not cost competitive. They are thus unable to operate to support scale-driven agriculture. That imposes an added cost (up to 50% - 100%) on the delivered price of agricultural produce in Nigeria, making it uncompetitive compared to global peers. In order to boost farm productivity, raise the level of marketable surplus and expand value chain participants’ access to low cost infrastructure, Nigeria will need to rethink the business and operating model for agricultural infrastructure. Finance and Risk Management: Nigeria’s agriculture sector continues to have poor access to financial services that enable farmers and other agricultural producers to adopt new technologies, improve market linkages, and increase their resilience to economic shocks. Poor access to financial services that enable input suppliers, processors, traders and others in agri-business to address liquidity and encourage targeted private sector engagement in agriculture remains a challenge. In addressing these constraints, the government will apply prudent, market based policy measures to grow the sector, with a clear recognition that widespread poverty reduction through the transformation of the agriculture sector is integral to the country’s long run economic growth trajectory and prosperity. Accordingly, this policy statement is anchored on three main pillars in line with the constitutional provision for the role of Federal Government in agricultural development: i) Promotion of agricultural investment; ii) Financing agricultural development programmes and iii) Research for agricultural innovation and productivity. The present Agriculture Promotion Policy is founded on the following guiding principles: 1) Agriculture as a business; 2) Agriculture as key to long-term economic growth and security; 3) Food as a human right; 4) Value chain approach; 5) Prioritizing crops; 6) Market orientation; 7) Factoring climate change and environmental sustainability; 8) Participation and inclusiveness; 9) Policy integrity; 10) Nutrition sensitive agriculture; 11) Agriculture’s linkages with other sectors. Chapter 7 deals with thematic interventions to unlock full potential under the APP. The first theme concerns productivity enhancement and considers the following aspects: access to land management; soil fertility; access to information and knowledge; access to inputs; production management; storage; processing; marketing and trade. Theme 2 pertains to crowding in private investment dealing with access to finance and agri-business development. Theme 3 lays down provisions relating to institutional realignment and highlights: institutional settings and roles; youth and women; infrastructure; climate smart agriculture; research and innovation; food consumption and nutrition security. The text consists of 9 chapters.
Agriculture Promotion Policy (2016 – 2020).